


The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs

by Kije999



Series: The Walking Dead - Urban Legends Retold [1]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Cliche, Gen, Horror, Urban Legends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-25
Updated: 2015-01-25
Packaged: 2018-03-09 02:01:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3232088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kije999/pseuds/Kije999
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What Beth though would be a regular babysitting job turns out to be her worst nightmare</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, hello. So we all know certain Urban Legends and I'll mix those with TWD characters. Beth is the first character I will use and she'll come back in other stories as well. So yeah there will be a series of one shots each involving classic scary urban legends.
> 
> Beta'd by my friend Bree (canadiangrlforever)

With two bobby pins between her lips, Beth slipped the hair tie over her hand and tied the end of her braid. She took the bobby pins from between her lips and one by one she secured a couple stray wisps of hair with the rest.

Beth looked up at her reflection in the mirror and gave a test smile, she looked fine in her sister's grey sweater. Beth walked out of the bedroom into the hallway upstairs and took out her phone from the pocket of her pale beige pants and turned it on. She looked at the time, almost 6 P.M. She had to go now or else she would be too late for her babysitter job at the Johnson's household. Beth knew Mrs. Johnson hated latecomers.

Stuffing her phone back into her pants, Beth hurried down the stairs, into the kitchen where her mother was cutting some vegetables for dinner. Beth told her mother that she'll be home really late and not to wait for her, she has a key, and kissed her mother's cheek. She took one of the carrots and hurried out of the door to go outside.  She waved to her father, who was talking to a farmhand. Her father noticed her and waved back with a caring smile, telling her to be careful. Beth nodded and got in her car, started it up and drove away.

An hour and thirty minutes later she arrived at the house of the Johnson family. She looked at the tiny numbers of the clock on her dashboard, telling her what time it is. She's a little late and when she looked up she saw Mr. Johnson walking to his car, ready to go.

Beth got out of her car and greeted the man and he told her that his wife was waiting for her inside in the hallway. Beth nodded and walked towards the front door of the house. Beth went inside the house and greeted Mrs. Johnson.

"I'm sorry I'm late, there was a traffic jam," she explained, shedding her jacket over her shoulders.

Mrs. Johnson nodded and replied. "Next time be earlier, David and I really need to go or we will be late for our reservation at the restaurant."

"Sorry," Beth smiled.

"Anyway, I ordered a pizza for the children and it just arrived before you so they are eating now. Bring them to bed at eight thirty. They might be a little stubborn when it comes to sleeping and might cause some trouble but they'll give up in the end."

Beth nodded at the instruction. "Have a nice evening at the restaurant, Mrs. Johnson. The kids will be fine. I mean they can't be any worse than Carl."

Mrs. Johnson laughed softly. "We will, thank you. And yes, Mrs. Grimes put in a good word for you, says you're amazing with children."

Beth smiled bashfully. "Sounds like something Lori would say. I love taking care of Carl and Judy, even though Carl is a stubborn thirteen year old."

Mrs. Johnson took her coat and put it on. "Thank you for taking care of them, Beth. My husband and I will be back around ten thirty, we'll give you the money and you can go home. Feel free to kill some time watching TV in the living room."

"Will do Mrs. Johnson," Beth replied politely with a smile.

Mrs. Johnson nodded and waved goodbye to her kids at the dining table and hurried after her husband, purse in her hand. Beth waved at the car that drove off with the two children that appeared next to her after their mom left. Beth ushered the two back to the dining room and looked at the digital numbers of the clock on the wall. It displayed seven forty-two. The plan in her mind was simple, finish the pizza's with the two kids, wash them up a little and send them to bed.

-X-

Beth sat down on the couch in the living room with a sigh, brushing some stray hairs out of her face. She changed the kid channel to the news channel. It's nine o' clock and she finally had the kids go to sleep. Mrs. Johnson was right, they are stubborn little troublemakers, especially now their strict mother wasn't home to get them to bed. The youngest, Jamie, didn't want to go to sleep and caused her some trouble. He kept demanding a bedtime story after she told them already. So in the end she sang a lullaby to lull him and his sister Emma to sleep and that plan worked. They were sleeping at last and she went down to watch some TV till Mr and Mrs Johnson come home.

Another sigh leaves her as the news displayed despair and agony in the world, good news didn't exist in the 'News World'. Just as she felt like changing the channel they started talking about Atlanta. It was about a convicted serial killer that was on the run, armed and dangerous with a psychological past. They told the people who were watching the news channel that he is lurking around in Atlanta, not sure why as his last trail went cold.

The screen changed from inside the news set to outside the Atlanta P.D station with a woman in front of it. She told them not to worry too much as they want to catch this guy as soon as possible. She also warned people to lock their windows and doors.

Beth felt a shiver run down her spine as the thought of going home alone now with a serial killer lurking around in Atlanta. She has to drive about an hour and fifteen minutes to get home and somehow she doesn't like that anymore. Maybe she can stay at her friend Tara's place, she remembers that her friend lived in the neighbourhood close by. And if she remembered correctly, Tara owned a gun to protect herself. That sounded like a good idea.

Beth took her phone out of her pocket and called her parents to tell them she's staying at her friend's place instead of going home and texted Tara, asking her if it's alright for her to stay despite the fact Tara always allows her to stay. And a minute later Tara texted back telling her it's alright for the blonde to stay at her place.

Maybe she's overreacting, Atlanta's a big city after all and the chance of the serial killer being here in the neighbourhood is small. She blamed Shawn for it, making her so scared. Why does he make her watch stupid horror movies all the time, she hates them.

Beth sighed and placed her phone on the couch next to her on the empty spot on the couch and turned her attention back at the TV, which now displayed a comedy soap show or whatever. But just as she finally relaxed the phone rang on the coffee table in front of her.

Beth bent forward and took the phone of the table. "Hello? This is Beth Greene, the babysitter."

But nobody answered back, she was greeted by silence and the deafening click of a phone disconnecting. Beth shrugged and placed the phone back on the table, must have been a wrong number and was too embarrassed to reply to her.

Beth relaxed back into the leather couch and continued watching the silly soap opera on the TV and once again when she got comfortable on the couch the phone rang again. Sighing she pushed herself forward to pick up the phone again.

"Hello-" she was cut off by a chilling voice that belonged to a man.

"Have you checked on the children?" click, the other side of the line was dead before she could respond.

Must have been Mr. Johnson, who’s probably trying to call her but maybe he didn't have a signal from where he is and that ended the call.

Then again the phone rang in her hand and she pressed the green button to pick up the phone. She held the phone against her ear. "Can I help you?"

"Have you checked on the children?" it was the same voice from the call a couple minutes ago.

"Mr. Johnson?" she asked with a frown on her face, something wasn't right.

Beth's frowned a little deeper, something was really off. Maybe she could try calling Mrs. Johnson's cell phone instead. She placed the house phone back on the table and grabbed her own phone from its spot on the couch and dialled the number Mrs. Johnson left her on the dining table and called the woman.

At the third ring the phone was answered. "Beth, is something wrong? Why are you calling?"

So the signal wasn't bad, she quickly apologized and told the woman nothing was wrong and that the kids were finally sleeping and ended the call. So it wasn't the Johnsons that called. Then who...? Beth bit her lip and decided to call 911 to report the prank caller or whoever was being a creep.

A desk dispatcher picked up the phone and answered her call, asking her how they can help her.

"Yes, thank you. I'm Beth Greene. Can I get the police? There is a man constantly calling me, asking me to check on the children and then hangs up before I can answer. I first thought that it was the father of the children I babysit, but both parents didn't call me. And now I realize they would call my cell phone instead of the house phone, so I think it's some creepy prank caller."

"Has he threatened you?" the woman dispatcher asked her in a professional tone.

"No, he hasn't."

"I'm sorry, then there is nothing we can do about it. However you can try reporting the prank caller to the phone company."

"Okay, I can do that," Beth replied and thanked the lady on the other end of the line.

Beth ended the call and proceeded to dial the phone company’s number. But the house phone rang again and Beth shut off her phone and placed it on the coffee table, picking up the house phone again and answered it.

"Why haven't you checked on the children?" the voice asked again.

Beth her heart pounded in fear and with panic on her breath she replied. "Who is this?"

But he hangs up the phone again.

Scared, she shakily placed the phone on the table and grabbed hers and dialled 911 once again. The same woman answered the phone.

"It's me again," the seventeen year old started, panic and fear laced her voice. "He called me again. Please, I'm scared. I know he's out there, watching me." She was shaking as a leaf.

"Have you seen him?" the dispatcher asked her.

"No, I haven't seen him," and that may or may not be a good sign.

The dispatcher sighed and responded. "Well, we still can't help you much with that."

Panic started to take over her mind, her heart pounded loudly in her ears and she can't think straight as she feels a headache coming up.

"Please, I'm scared!" she started pleading. "Please help me, I'm really scared! I know where I am!"

The woman tries to calm her down, telling her it will be okay. That they'll help her. "Okay, just give me the house phone’s number, the house number and address. I'll send two officers your way to check up on you. And if that guy calls again, try to keep him talking so we can trace the phone call and catch this guy for you so he won't bother you anymore."

"Okay," Beth quietly replied, trying to calm herself down.

"Remember keep him on the line, Beth was it right?"

"Yes."

"Okay, Beth. Can you do that for me?"

"I can do that, yes," Beth tried to sound confident as she replied, but her nerves are shaken up and she's still really scared.

"I'll call you when we have the guy, okay?"

"Okay."

The woman told her to be careful and Beth thanked her for her help. Beth shut off the TV and closed the curtains in the living room, blocking the windows and the light from inside so if he's outside he won't see her anymore. She also turned off the lights in the hallway. He can't be inside, she locked every door after the kids went to bed. She didn't sit down on the couch, she couldn't. She couldn't relax with the creeper checking on her. Then the house phone rang again and Beth gulped. She let out a heavy breath and answered the phone, holding it against her ear.

"It's me again," the chilling voice of the man spoke. "Why did you turn off the lights in the hall?"

He didn't address the curtains! Why didn't he do that?! Beth cried into the phone. "Can you see me?"

"Yes," he said after a long pause. "Pretty little grey sweater, light beige pants and stunningly golden hair."

Beth shivered as the man rambled on about how good she would look in red and that she should be coloured red.

"Look, you scared me, alright!?" Beth cried. "I'm shaking! Are you happy? Is this what you wanted!?"

"No," it sent her into another panic attack, it sounded so calm. His voice was so eerie and calm, but she noticed a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice and that scared her most.

"Then what do you want from me!?" the blonde yelled into the phone.

After another long pause she heard the man starting to cackle, slowly building up into a hysterical laughter that sent shivers down her spine.

"Your blood," the voice was calm again, but Beth still heard the hysteria in his voice. "All over me."

Beth couldn't take it anymore, she threw the phone into the wall. "Leave me alone!!"

The blonde was crying, her breath hitched and her sobs became shorter and shorter. She tried to take a deep breath but her hysteria wouldn't let her. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She's so scared and the panic attack that she's having is making her light headed. She looked at the broken phone on the ground near the wall she threw it against. Beth couldn't control her shaking anymore.

Then she heard her own phone buzz against the wooden surface of the coffee table, it was the woman again. She shakily picked up the phone.

"He threatened me-" she cried but she was cut off by the alarmed voice of the woman.

"I heard. Beth get out of that house, the call was made from a room in the house. Get outside, the police is outside, you'll be safe."

Beth didn't hesitate a moment, she ran into the hallway and desperately trying to unlock the door as fast as she can. She had to get out of this house! She yanked at the door but finds out the chain on top of the door is still latched. In the time it takes for her to unhook the chain, she heard a door upstairs open. Beth took a quick glimpse at the sound, her fingers on the chain. She saw that the children's room had opened, the light pouring out the room and a silhouette of a man formed into the door.

Beth finally managed to unhook the chain as the man upstairs started to walk downstairs. As the door opened she made a mad dash out the door, almost running into an armed cop who went after the man upstairs, gun pointed at him. Another officer ran past her, following the first, as a third officer caught her and calmed the hysterical blonde teenager down.

The female officer named Shepard started telling her that they needed to bring her to the police station to fill in a couple reports for them. Then the cop asked her if she wanted them to call her family for her and Beth nodded, saying that she wanted her parents to be here. Shepard explained that they'll do it at the office and lead her towards one of the two police cars.

Before she got into the car she saw the two officers that went into the house dragging the intruder out the door towards the other police car.  Beth's let out a cry again as she saw he was covered in blood from head to toe and her blood runs could as the man grinned maniacally at her before being pushed into the car.

Realization hit her hard. The children, she'd forgotten about them during her hysteria. That blood was theirs. They were dead. Murdered. And he wanted her as well, but decided to play with her first. She would have been murdered as well. Beth felt light-headed and fell down in shock.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed, leave a comment and kudos behind telling me if you liked it and leave a suggestion the next Urban Legend you like to see. I have plenty already planned out so you just have to suggest which one you want to see next.


End file.
